Poultry, Aquacultire and Livestock fair launched in Kumasi

The Second international Poultry, Aquaculture and Livestock Show (Pals) Africa, slated for November 2nd and 3rd, 2017 has been launched in Kumasi with the call on government to support such events to make them become a regular event on the calendar of the industry.

The CEO of Boris B Farms and Veterinary, Mr Boris Baidoo, who chaired the launch, said it was imperative that government supported such events as they would help to revive particularly the poultry sector which he said, “is currently an ailing one and needs government attention.”

According to him, such events presented stakeholders in the sector with enormous opportunities to share ideas and find solutions to some of the challenges facing the sector.

He explained that at such events, international exhibitors bring in their products which the local players could buy without having to travel to the countries of the manufacturers to acquire them.

Benefits

Mr Baidoo said the poultry industry in the country was still at its nascent stage would need the inputs and best practices from those who have brazed the trail to develop it.

He said these knowledge and experiences could only be shared at fora such as the Pals Africa Show and urged all players in the poultry value chain to attend the programme to increase their knowledge about the sector.

He said all the poultry farmers do not get all the inputs they need locally and some of them have to be imported and such shows provide the farmers to purchase some of these inputs locally.

APPEAL

He said it was time the government stopped paying lip services to the sector and moved into action to help it grow.

According to him, the industry held the key to the unemployment in the country as if properly developed, could provide employment to the several graduates in the country.

He said since the poultry industry consume more than 70 per cent of maize produced in the country, there was the need to bring the poultry industry along in the government’s Planting for Food and Jobs policy.

“Who would consume the grains that would be produce from the project if the poultry industry is not ready to buy them?” he queried.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chicks and Chicken, organisers of the show (Pals) Africa, Mr John Bewuah Edusei, said following the success of the first event in 2015, the organisers decided to organise the second one.

He said the show was aimed at developing the poultry, aquaculture and livestock show of international standards and reputation.

He said the show which would create a platform for all stakeholders in the industry to come together to deliberate on the future of the poultry, aquaculture and livestock in the country, would also create a platform for the exhibitors to network and sell their products and services.

“It will also afford investors the opportunity to invest in areas where government alone cannot afford in the immediate future in win-win collaboration,” he said.

According to him, the show would also offer a platform for discussions that “will lead to a reduction in the importation of products like frozen chicken, milk, day old chicks and other products which can be produced locally with Ghanaian partners. This will strengthen the Ghanaian economy,”

Some of the programmes for the two day event which would take place at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Kumasi will be preceded by seminars which would be held concurrently in Accra, Dorma and Kumasi.

Other programmes include food bazars, exhibitions and seminars.

It is expected that over 50 exhibitors made up of local and international companies would take part in the two-day event.